Live from Trackside – Milwaukee IndyFest

Sunday, August 17
5:15 p.m.
Well, that was another fight for the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team. We definitely fought it at times, but the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen Chevrolet was really good in clean air. Overall it was so tough today, especially in traffic. The Milwaukee Mile is such a historic race track. You get in traffic, and there are guys seconds off the pace holding you up–it’s just short track racing. But, I feel good about the team moving forward from here. We have two more opportunities to score a win. We showed very well testing at Sonoma Raceway and earlier in the year at Auto Club Speedway. With two races to finish out the season, and one of those being a 500-miler around a 2-mile oval, it’s going to be a pretty interesting end to the year.

Thanks to Dominique and the Novo Nordisk guests for coming out this weekend–hope they all had fun! And thanks to the fans for the support, as always.

Chatting with Dominique in the media center.

Pre-race.

Ready to go at The Mile.

Dominique with NBCSN’s Kelli … and her makeshift ladder!

11:40 a.m.
It’s race day! Looking forward to getting on track for 250 laps here at The Mile. Last night I had dinner with a few guests from Novo Nordisk, as well as Dominique. It was an evening full of laughs for sure! This morning was surprisingly chilly and overcast, but it looks like the sun is sneaking out now. Luckily it wasn’t chilly yesterday afternoon for the ALS ice bucket challenge!

I just finished up with the autograph session… massive thanks to the fans who came out today! Now it’s on to a media availability with Dominique, lunch and engineering sessions before the green flag. Tune in to NBC Sports Network for live coverage of the race beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern! Also follow my Pit Lane Reporter (PLR) on Twitter @racewithinsulin for on-track updates.

Saturday, August 16
6:30 p.m.
That qualifying run felt really good. We’ll start P6 tomorrow. Two weeks ago at Mid-Ohio I came out of qualifying just completely crushed with the results. Since then we’ve focused on making sure we get a good qualifying run out of the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen Chevrolet here in Milwaukee. We spent a lot of time today in practice getting the car ready for the race tomorrow, and trying a couple different things. We still need to make a few changes before green flag, but I feel like we got about 95 percent out of the car today and I’m just really happy with the result.

If you missed the live stream of qualifying, tune in to NBC Sports Network at 8 p.m. Eastern for the broadcast!

All set for qualifying.

P6!

Brad teaching Dominique the ins-and-outs of a pit stop.

Getting set for practice 2. I think Brad is ready!

12:50 p.m.
It’s true, sometimes this job has perks… like meeting NBA legend Dominique Wilkins and showing him around my office! After practice this morning, Dominique came over to the transporter for a tour and to chat about how I prep for the race weekends. We met briefly at a Novo Nordisk event, but it was really cool to get to know him a bit better. He’s such a good guy! He’ll be here for the race tomorrow, too, so he’ll get the full IndyCar experience.

We finished up P12 in this morning’s practice. I was definitely more comfortable with the car toward the end of the session and was able to make more adjustments while driving. We have one more practice before qualifying so we’ll make the most of it!

Green for practice 1!

Making a few changes to the No. 83.

Dominique chatting with the No. 83 crew.

Showing Dominique around an IndyCar.

Thanks for coming out!

9:05 a.m.
Good morning from The Mile! We just finished up with a drivers meeting, and I’m getting set for practice 1 at 10. Last night I had a really nice dinner with some friends from Novo Nordisk. Later today, we’ll have basketball Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins here at the track for a few laps in the pace car! I’ve met Dominique a few times at Novo Nordisk events and he’s a really cool, talented guy. Luckily, I don’t think we’ll have time to shoot any hoops… it could get embarrassing very quickly for me.

Tune in for live video and timing during practice via INDYCAR Race Control!

Friday, August 15
1:30 p.m.
Good afternoon from the Milwaukee Mile! I drove up this morning from Indy and am just now getting settled at the track.

I’m looking forward to getting back on an oval this weekend and competing here at the Milwaukee Mile. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team has been so strong lately once the green flag drops–solid pit stops, a quick race pace for the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen Chevrolet, and the right strategy calls. I know I can count on them when it’s needed. We haven’t always had the best luck at The Mile, but I think Chip Ganassi Racing as a whole is on the upswing. After a good result in Mid-Ohio and a successful test at Sonoma, we can really come back strong these last few races and earn some points toward the championship.

For now, I’m headed into the engineering office. We have a special guest this weekend here with Novo Nordisk, so I’m looking forward to showing him around my “office” soon!

Here’s a race weekend schedule for you (all times Central):
Saturday, August 16
10-11 a.m. Practice
1:30-2:30 p.m. Practice
5-6:15 p.m. Qualifying (delayed broadcast at 7 p.m. on NBC Sports Network)
Sunday, August 17
10 a.m. Systems check
10:30-11:30 a.m. Autograph session (at INDYCAR Fan Village)
2 p.m. Race (live on NBC Sports Network)

Keep following @racewithinsulin on Twitter for more updates! And don’t forget to tag your Twitter and Instagram posts with #CKsCrew to be featured on my website.